Career Day 2018 welcomed 45 alumnae of the school to visit with our current students about their professional expertise and career paths. Students attended up to two sessions, where they were invited to hear from and ask questions of panels from a variety of different fields, including health care, arts, business, education, finance, law, information technology, and engineering. Careers and ministry in nonprofit, public service and religious life offered additional insight into life choices to help people through service.

Thank you to all of our “Mount girls” who volunteered as 2018 panel speakers, traveling from as far away as California and conducting the IT session via Skype. Many of the alumnae shared the same sentiment: Mount St. Mary taught them to give back and they wanted to give back to their alma mater and its current students.

Mount St. Mary Career Day is held each February as a collaborative effort of the Counselors and Alumnae Office. Career Day is one way that Mount St. Mary Academy encourages students to explore their interests and passions as an extension of their academic program and in the process better understand themselves, their community and the world.

On February 17, six students from Mount St. Mary Academy attended the 2018 Arkansas American Choral Directors Association All-State Clinic in Hot Springs. The students — Lexi Caruthers, Clara Cordell, Anna Kate Manchester, Regan Moss, Leah Paige, and Carol Stover — represented Arkansas’ top vocal performers as part of the All-State Choir.

The students spent two days in intense rehearsals with singers from across the state, directed by prestigious choir directors from around the country. On Saturday they performed an incredible concert to showcase the music they learned.

“This is such an amazing accomplishment for these girls and a highly rewarding experience for all of their hard work,” said MSM Choral Director Chelsea Frazier. “It means they are the best of the best in the state!”

The Concert Belles will perform at the Choral Performance Assessment later this month. Under the direction of Ms. Frazier, the vocal ensemble has received superior ratings at both the regional and state level for three consecutive years. In 2017 the Concert Belles earned two Best In Class awards — Best Medium Female Chorus and Best Medium Chorus Overall.

Mount St. Mary Academy is proud to announce that senior Katie Strickland has been named a National Merit Finalist in the 2018 National Merit Scholarship Competition. Katie is among 15,000 high school seniors nationwide who has met all the requirements to advance to Finalist standing and continue in the competition for National Merit Scholarships.

More than 1.6 million students nationwide entered the Merit Program as juniors by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. High scorers were designated as Semifinalists in the fall by scoring in the top one percent among students taking the PSAT.

Mount St. Mary Academy celebrated Founders Week during the first week of February. The week marks 167 years since the school’s founding Sisters of Mercy opened the school on February 5, 1851, at the request of Arkansas’ first Catholic Bishop.

Leading up to Founders Week, the school’s Homecoming basketball game took place at the Catholic High School gymnasium, where the Belles played the Central High School Tigers. MSM basketball team member Lona Ceccherini was crowned 2018 Homecoming Queen as the Mount St. Mary Homecoming Court was announced before the game began.

On Tuesday, February 6, the student body gathered in the McAuley Center for the Mount St. Mary Academy Founders Day and Sophomore Pin Mass. As students entered the gymnasium, the Angelus Bell rang out 167 times in honor of the school’s 167-year history. The bell was given to the Sisters by Bishop Andrew Byrne at the school’s first location in downtown Little Rock. As part of the Founders Day Mass, the 10th graders in the Class of 2020 received their Mercy pins, which serve as reminders to the sophomores to live the Mercy values in their everyday lives.

Founders Week 2018 ended with a new celebration for parents, alumnae and friends of the school. The first-ever Belles Birthday Bingo was held Friday, February 9, in the McAuley Center gymnasium. Parent volunteers served up grilled hot dogs, a chili bar and birthday cake before the bingo games began. Two fifty/fifty “split the pot” games rewarded two lucky winners, alumnae Debbie Wright Harris ’75 and Marilyn Lenggenhager ’73, and proceeds from the event benefited the Belles Booster Club, which supports student programs and activities at Mount St. Mary.

This year during Catholic Schools Week, January 28-February 3, Mount St. Mary Academy held a special dedication for the newly renovated school chapel. Those involved say the generosity of donors and volunteers made it all possible.

“We started work at the end of last school year, and we had the help of so many talented people,” said Mount St. Mary Academy President Karen Flake. “With insight from from alumna Elaine Kelly Green ’04, artist Kevin Kresse, and school administration, we began to see a vision for a lighter, brighter school chapel, full of inspiration for our students.”

The Mount St. Mary Academy Chapel, first built in 1982 when the 1908 school building was razed, offers students a place to sit and pray, meditate and host visiting speakers for theology classes. Mass is held in the chapel twice a week by MSM Chaplain Monsignor Lawrence Frederick.

While the beautiful stained glass from the original convent provided a calming and spiritual backdrop for these activities, much of the room was in need of updates. The renovation included replacement of the wall coverings as well as new seating, drop-ceiling and carpet to lighten the appearance and remove allergens.

A beautiful, back-lit crucifix depicting Jesus at the Resurrection was crafted by local artist Kevin Kresse and gifted to the school in memory of Rev. Monsignor Bernard G. Malone by his nephew and former Mount St. Mary Chaplain, Monsignor Francis I. Malone and the Joseph V. Malone, Sr., family of Philadelphia. Kresse is a Catholic High School alumnus with several sisters who graduated from Mount St. Mary Academy. Monsignor Malone received an early assignment at Mount St. Mary as a young priest and has remained involved with the school, now serving on the Mount St. Mary Academy Board of Directors.

In order to inspire on campus the spiritual presence of the Sisters of Mercy who founded the school, several items from the Mount St. Mary Convent Chapel were relocated to the school chapel as well. Mount St. Mary Campus Ministry Director LouAnn Gieringer shared how MSM students will now be able to observe the Stations of the Cross with the addition of 14 wooden stations from the Sisters. Other items from the chapel included a marble holy water font and a framed copy of the St. Pudenziana painting of “Mary Mother of Mercy” from one of the oldest churches in Rome. A letter dated July of 1890 explained the original painting had been blessed and a reproduction commissioned by Pope Leo XIII, who had given it to the Sisters of Mercy as a sign of deep appreciation for the work of their entire congregation.

At the dedication ceremony on January 31, President Flake thanked the donors present, and MSM Chaplain Monsignor Lawrence Frederick gave a special blessing for the chapel. The renovation was made possible by gifts from Nabholz Charitable Foundation; Libby and Lee Hastings, Michelle and Stan Hastings, and Cathy (Hastings ’76) and Steve Owen in honor of Rosalyn Jones Hastings ’48; the Mount St. Mary Class of 2016; and an anonymous donor.

With the joyful dedication of the renewed chapel, all in the school community are encouraged to visit this chapel in prayer to rededicate their life, work and efforts to the Lord and shine Christ’s Light to the world.

Today marks the beginning of National Catholic Schools Week 2018! This year’s theme is “Catholic Schools: Learn. Serve. Lead. Succeed.” We’re proud of to be a part of Catholic education and the many contributions to our church, our communities and our nation.
Read below a dozen reasons to choose Catholic schools. #CSW18

We offer an education that combines Catholic faith and teachings with academic excellence.

We partner with parents in the faith formation of their children.

We set high standards for student achievement and help them succeed.

We provide a balanced academic curriculum that integrates faith, culture and life.

We use technology effectively to enhance education.

We instill in students the value of service to others.

We teach children respect of self and others.

We emphasize moral development and self-discipline.

We prepare students to be productive citizens and future leaders.

We have a 99 percent high school graduation rate. 85 percent of our graduates go to college.

We cultivate a faculty and staff of people who are dedicated, caring and effective.

A group of eleven Mount St. Mary students spent the week of January 15-19 in Washington, DC, with the Close Up program. In addition to touring famous monuments and memorials in the nation’s capital, students were able to visit with Arkansas’ U.S. Representative French Hill while on a private tour of the Capitol Building and present a Mount St. Mary Academy wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the Arlington National Cemetery. This year they also enjoyed the special privilege of spending MLK Day with a visit to the Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

Close Up’s High School Programs are designed to give students and educators an inside look at their democracy in action. Each year the program welcomes students from schools around the country to Washington, DC, to learn more about government and their nation’s capital.

Members of the Belles varsity basketball team recently shared with Arkansas Catholic the highlights and challenges they have experienced as a team and the friendships they have formed after growing up as rivals in the parochial basketball league.

This column was first published in the Jan. 20 edition of Arkansas Catholic.

No ‘I’ in team: Mount seniors’ bond endures adversity

Four years ago, Payton Grice, Anne Moellers, Abby Bing­enheimer and Sarah Sagar walked into the Mount St. Mary gym for their first basketball practice.

It was summer before freshman year and, with the exception of Bingenheimer and Sagar who grew up in Immaculate Heart of Mary Church in North Little Rock (Marche), none of them wanted anything to do with the other.

It’s amazing what off-season workouts can accomplish. Run enough lines, lift enough weights, withstand enough of Coach Lauren Ramsey’s blistering sermons and it changes you. And in the case of this foursome, that bond has been unshakable.

This year a “new” event invites parents, alumnae, faculty/staff, volunteers and friends to come together for a traditional favorite – BINGO! Mount St. Mary Academy invites the entire school community to come together on Friday, February 9, to honor the school’s 167-year tradition of excellence during Founders Week and celebrate with food and games. The Dads Club and Birthday Bingo Committee will be providing hot dogs on the grill and a chili toppings bar. Tickets are $30 for individuals/$50 for couples and include dinner, beer and wine, and 10 bingo play cards per person with additional cards available for purchase.

Christmas came early this year for Mount St. Mary junior Sydney Kellam (center), the Rockettes team manager and former MSM dance team member who was one of 19 dancers picked to be on the first-ever Team USA for a competition known as “the Olympics of dance.”

In early December, Sydney traveled with her coach and teammates from the Rock City Dance Center and other states across the country to the International Dance Organization’s World Jazz & Modern Championships in Warsaw, Poland. There they competed against more than 4,000 dancers from 32 nations and 4 continents.

Sydney received fifth place for Team USA for her group’s Adult Jazz Dance Formation and Adult Modern Dance Formation routines and sixth in the Adult Division for Small Group Modern.

“I loved it. It was a lot of hard work and hours,” Sydney said, explaining that the team practiced six days a week leading up to the competition. She said it was well worth the extra time to hear their country announced as placing fifth and to know they were the first ones in modern and jazz to compete in their division at the IDO World Championship.

Sydney described the experience as one she will never forget. “The different styles of dance from all of the countries were so amazing. It was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”

Our hearts are lifted in praise this Christmas for the wonderful gift of Jesus and the joy He brings to our lives. May God fill your life with hope, faith, joy and peace this holiday season and throughout the new year!

Thank you to all of our Mount St. Mary campus ministry team members who helped to make this Advent season so special for our MSM school community by sharing their reflections with us.

With only one day until Christmas, the fourth week of Advent may not be long but calls us to commit ourselves to PEACE in the world. During the fourth week of Advent, student campus ministry team member Regan shares her family tradition of volunteering during the holidays to share God’s peace with others.

Mount St. Mary Academy students and faculty are filled with JOY now that exams are finished and holiday break has begun! During the third week of Advent, our student campus ministry team member Kassidy reflects upon the rose-colored candle of the Advent wreath and how it reminds us that joy is very much a part of growing closer to God this Advent season.

Bishop Anthony Taylor joined the Mount St. Mary community for the Feast of the Immaculate Conception on December 8. During the second week of Advent, our student campus ministry team members reflected upon the Nativity and shared about what the Nativity teaches us about faith and how we can live our faith during Advent.

This Christmas we will be sharing the expectant waiting of the Advent season with our school community by giving special time for reflection and contemplation in the upcoming weekly Belles Blasts. Our student campus ministry team members will be offering reflections on their favorite Advent traditions in order to extend the preparation for Christmas in our minds and hearts. We invite you to join in the scripture readings, follow the weekly tips and enjoy the spiritual enrichment of the Advent season as together we prepare for the coming of Our Lord, Jesus Christ.

This year on #GivingTuesday, November 28, Mount St. Mary Academy received an inspirational outpouring of support, as parents, alumnae and friends of the school joined together to show their charitable spirit to the “best school we know.” Just over $26,000 was donated in the online campaign that called on supporters through emails and social media to “share the love” with The Mount on Tuesday, November 28.

Giving Tuesday is a movement to create an international day of giving at the beginning of the Christmas and holiday season following the commercial days of Black Friday and Cyber Monday. This year over 1,640,000 gifts and $177,000,000 were raised online in over 98 countries, according to the Giving Tuesday website.

Sister Act, presented by the Mount St. Mary Arts Department, is a musical comedy you don’t want to miss! Hear from this year’s cast and crew members why this year’s production speaks to everyone, especially the “sisterhood” of young women at MSM.

This year Mount St. Mary students collected more than 51,242 canned good items as part of the school’s Robin Hood Days collection for charity. The annual food drive provides holiday meals for Arkansas families in need. Robin Hood Days culminated on Friday, November 17, with a frenzy-filled morning, as local food agencies received the donations and school administration counted the collected cans to measure against the school’s goal of 30,000 cans.

Each grade level met their class goal in order to participate in an off-campus lunch in January. This year’s winning class was the senior class, who collected 16,255 cans. Over the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving break, students collected cans from family, friends and neighbors, in addition to holding fundraisers like the “We CAN Wednesdays” and “Beans for Jeans” spirit days and a viewing of the movie Sister Act. The organizations that received the cans and donations were Helping Hand of Greater Little Rock and the Arkansas Foodbank.

It is estimated that more than 1 million canned goods have been collected by Mount St. Mary Academy since the school-wide Robin Hood program began in 1974.

We are thankful for our wonderful City of Little Rock and the Parks and Recreation Department, who hosted the Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon held on Wednesday, November 15, at the Southwest Community Center in Little Rock. Mount St. Mary Academy was awarded the “Maintenance Volunteer of the Year” award for our Mercy Day work, cleaning up Allsopp Park alongside the Parks Department. Thank you for allowing us to be a part of all you do to make our city such a great place to live!

On Sunday, November 12, Mount St. Mary Academy hosted its annual Open House, where families of young women in 5th-8th grades got a glimpse of life at the all-girl school. They toured the school, asked questions and attended sessions on areas of interest.

If you know of someone who was “Born to Be a Belle,” please contact Director of Admissions, Annie Cross, at 501.664.8006 to schedule a tour.

The season of Thanksgiving at Mount St. Mary Academy cannot be mentioned without including the longstanding tradition of the Robin Hood Days can drive. While graduates remember their own Robin Hood Days stories, we often hear questions like “How long has the can drive been held at MSM?” or “How many cans have been donated over the years?”

After a little digging into the history of this cherished school charity, we found out some Robin Hood Days Fun Facts that we’d like to share!

November 30 – December 2nd
7pm, Catholic High Auditorium

Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for students and may be purchased at the door.

“When disco diva, Deloris Van Cartier, witnesses a murder, she is put in protective custody in the one place the cops are sure she won’t be a found: a convent! Disguised as a nun, she finds herself at odds with both the rigid lifestyle and uptight Mother Superior. Using her unique disco moves and singing talent to inspire the choir, Deloris breathes new life into the church and community but, in doing so, blows her cover. Soon, the gang is giving chase, only to find them up against Deloris and the power of her newly found sisterhood.”

On November 9, members of the Mount St. Mary softball program joined senior third baseman Susan R. and her family and friends as she completed her commitment to sign a letter of intent to play softball for the “Mavericks” at the University of Nebraska at Omaha.She is committed to Omaha on a Division 1 scholarship under the leadership of head coach DJ Sanchez and assistant coaches Wondrasek and Camilla Carrera. Susan is the first Belles softball player to go to the Division I level.

Susan has been a starter for the Mount St. Mary Academy varsity softball program for the past four years. As a junior, the MSM third baseman batted .400 (16-40) with four home runs and drove in 24 runs. She led her high school team in homeruns, RBIs, slugging percentage, as well as on-base percentage, and received 7A All-Conference awards for all of her years of play.

Susan has played softball for the past 14 years and has played on several select travel teams. She currently plays for Kim and Martin Poole with Vision Fastpitch, a nationally competitive fastpitch softball team; their 18u Gold team was ranked in the nation’s top 30. Throughout Susan’s career she has won several world series championships, numerous state tournaments, and placed in Triple Crown Sports in Boulder, Colorado, Lake Tahoe, and Florida. She has also competed for the past several years at the PGF in Huntington Beach, California and as well as the JO Cup in California.

Susan’s decision to pursue her education and softball career at Omaha followed an unofficial visit to the college last year, where she says she fell in love with everything the school had to offer. She said, “I knew it would be the perfect fit. I appreciate all that Coach Sanchez and Wondrasek have given me and I cannot wait to represent them next year.” Susan plans to major in pre-med and push herself in the classroom as well as on the field.

Although the future looks bright for Susan on the college level, she is looking forward to her final season with the Belles and says she hopes to make it to the state tournament this year.

“MSM softball has been a big part of my life for the past four years, and I am not looking forward to it ending,” Susan shared. “I have grown so close to my teammates here and have created amazing friendships.”

She went on to thank all of her coaches, her trainer, and family and friends for always pushing her and encouraging her to be her best and said her hopes for her last year here are “to have fun and make every game count.”

Raising remarkable women begins by raising their own expectations. Hear from them yourself at Open House on November 12, and learn about some of the ways girls grow and thrive at Mount St. Mary Academy in the last two videos of the Elevating Expectations series: stories of MSM students.

PLAY VIDEOS:http://mtstmary.edu/whymount/AND SHARE with any young women you know who would benefit from an excellent, faith-based all-girl education.

This month and the next are all about looking beyond ourselves and recognizing the needs of others. We launched our season of Thankfulness with the Robin Hood Days canned food drive, challenging each class to raise 8,000 cans for the drive. We encourage each family to contribute and ask others (friends, family, neighbors) to contribute to our drive.

Caroline Martine ’19, in her Call to Worship this past Wednesday (All Saints Day Mass), spoke of her admiration for Blessed Father Stanley Rother’s example of living our faith. In the Call to Action, Sophie Chier ’19 challenged each of us to “give of ourselves in all aspects of our lives.”

Catherine McAuley (our Foundress) said, “Our divine Savior’s example should be before us under all circumstances, particularly in exercising charity towards our neighbor” (Practical Sayings, pages 4 – 5). As a school, we have embraced the Mercy charism and a “can-do,” practical attitude toward the suffering of those in need. Thank you for supporting our school’s mission and blessing us with your daughters. We are Thankful.

Raising remarkable women begins by raising their own expectations. Hear from them yourself at Open House on November 12, and learn about some of the ways girls grow and thrive at Mount St. Mary Academy in the first two videos of the Elevating Expectations series: stories of MSM students.

PLAY VIDEOS:http://mtstmary.edu/whymount/AND SHARE with any young women you know who would benefit from an excellent, faith-based all-girl education.

On Monday, October 30, Mount St. Mary President Karen Flake and Principal Angie Collins met with Hendrix College President Bill Tsutsui and members of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion to discuss the Hendrix Aspire Scholarship program available to Mount St. Mary students. Mount St. Mary signed on with Hendrix in 2015 as one of the original program partners to provide students with the opportunity for a top-class liberal arts and sciences education.

The Aspire Scholarship program covers up to the full cost of attendance (tuition, fees, on-campus housing and meals, and other expenses) for Federal Pell Grant-eligible students from partner secondary schools and organizations. Recipients of the Aspire Scholarship are also given support to encourage academic achievement and engage them in activities to advance their vocational interests.

Students interested in the Hendrix Aspire Scholarship will need to complete the FAFSA and the Hendrix admission application by the November Early Action I deadline of November 15. For information, please contact the MSM Counselors Office.

Thank you to Olivia, Mount St. Mary senior and member of The Mount newspaper staff, for sharing her faith and talent as a regular contributor to the Arkansas Catholic Young Faith column. Young Faith is a column series featuring Catholic student writers from Catholic and public schools in Arkansas. They share stories of struggle and triumph in their lives, all through a lens of faith.

Her most recent article was published in the Oct. 26 edition of Arkansas Catholic.

A beautiful fall day in Arkansas welcomed more than 200 runners, walkers, children and pets to take part in the second annual Chills & Thrills 5K Run/Walk and Fun Run on the Mount St. Mary Academy campus.

MSM Rockettes cheered on race participants, some dressed in seasonal costumes, to start the challenging course throughout the Hillcrest neighborhood. Highlights included water stops with MSM costumed cross country team members as well as the “Nightmare on Elm Street,” the culminating hill before the 5K home stretch.

Children ages 6 to 12 had the option of participating in the one-mile Monster Dash, which circled the campus and ended with an obstacle course of tire hopping, belly crawling, wall scaling, sack racing fun. Racing their way to the finish, each race participant rang a bell to signal successful race completion and was awarded a “Survivor” medal.

Thank you to all of the event participants, volunteers and sponsors for making the 2017 Chills & Thrills event a huge success, with nearly double the participation over last year’s race. Event proceeds benefit all extracurricular programs at Mount St. Mary Academy.

Picture yourself at the Mount! Young women in 5th-8th grades and their families are invited to meet Mount St. Mary teachers and administration, tour the school and answer the question, “Why Mount?” We look forward to meeting with you and talking through next steps in the admissions and enrollment process at Mount St. Mary Academy.

OPEN HOUSE

Sunday, November 12
2-4 p.m.REGISTER ATmtstmary.edu/openhouse/
to save time at check-in.
Families of grades 5 to 12 welcome.

Over the past three years Mount St. Mary Academy art students in IB Art, Art III and Art IV have been creating portraits for children around the world in collaboration with The Memory Project. The nonprofit organization works with art students across the globe with the purpose of creating portraits for youth who have faced substantial challenges, such as neglect, abuse, loss of parents and extreme poverty. The portraits are sent to the children to help them feel valued and important, to know that many people care about their well being, and to act as meaningful pieces of personal history in the future. For the students, it is an opportunity to creatively practice kindness and global awareness; they have provided portraits for children in Bolivia and Syria over the last few years.

In order to raise awareness of the Syrian war’s effects on children, seventy photographs of The Memory Project student artwork will be on display at the University of Wisconsin beginning September 21, 2017; two of the portraits in the exhibit were created by Mount St. Mary students Aryn Angyal and Meredith Muller.

If you happen to pass through Madison, Wisconsin, between now and November 19, please check it out! For more information on the Memory Project click here.

Syrian portraits by MSM students on display at the University of Wisconsin: artwork by Meredith Muller (left) and Aryn Angyl (right)

On September 23, 2017, 21 members of the Mount St. Mary Junior Classical League (Latin Club) and friends washed over 40 cars to raise money to help victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. The club wanted a way to help provide relief and decided to sponsor something culturally appropriate yet fun. Latin club president, Evelyn Nick, proposed the fundraiser to the administration, who then approved it. All determined that Saturday the 23rd would be perfect since it was homecoming weekend and alumnae would be visiting the campus over the weekend. One alumna, who is now a Latin teacher in Washington, D.C., stopped in to make her donation and think about the fun times in Latin class while she was at MSM. The event also drew in neighbors of Mount St. Mary who were happy to help the effort made for people hit so hard by the recent disasters. God provided great weather for the event, and the students worked hard throughout the morning. All proceeds ($1249) will go to the the “Texas Flood Relief” fund of Catholic Charities of Arkansas which is providing aid to victims of both Harvey and Irma.

Mount St. Mary Academy students, faculty and administrators reported for work at 15 service organizations to “Make Mercy Real” on a day of service known as Mercy Day. Around the world, Mercy Day is celebrated to commemorate the day the school’s founders, the Sisters of Mercy, opened the first House of Mercy in 1827 to serve the sick and the poor in Ireland. Mount St. Mary Mercy Day activities included cleaning up parks, picking up trash, and helping out at schools, hospitals and organizations throughout Greater Little Rock who serve the poor and sick in our community.

The 15th annual Mount St. Mary Academy “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” Alumnae Picnic welcomed more than 200 of the school’s graduates back to their high school home. Alumnae representing classes from 1948 to 2012 gathered for school tours followed by dinner and fellowship. Alumnae perused yearbooks and alumnae merchandise and enjoyed the photo booth mementos, courtesy of LeMay Photography. Rosalyn Hastings, Class of 1948, was recognized for earliest class year and received the award with her daughter and granddaughter, both MSM alumnae. The Class of 1977, celebrating their 40-year reunion, won the coveted spirit stick for most classmates in attendance.

Mount St. Mary Academy student Katie S. has been named a Semifinalist in the 63rd annual National Merit® Scholarship Program. She is among the 16,000 Semifinalists who represent the top one percent of the Class of 2018. Last fall, about 1.6 million juniors across the country entered the 2018 National Merit Scholarship competition by taking the PSAT qualifying test.

These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth about $32 million that will be offered next spring, according to a news release from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Grateful for the opportunity, Katie says, “It helps to see my hard work in academics has truly prepared me for life ahead, and it motivates me to continue working toward my goals in the future.”

Steps in the 2018 Competition

About 15,000 seniors will be announced as Finalists in February. To advance to the finals of the scholarship program, students must show a record of consistently high academic performance throughout high school while also earning SAT scores that confirm their earlier performances on the qualifying test. Their high school principal must also write a recommendation.

National Merit Scholarships

Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2018. Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit® $2500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis. About 1,000 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 230 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet their specified criteria. In addition, about 190 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,000 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.

Mount St. Mary Academy held the Opening Pep Rally on August 30th to kick off fall sports — cross country, volleyball, tennis and golf — and start off the school year with a show of school spirit. Costumes, chants and a class theme for each grade level and a performance by the seniors united the student body as classes competed for the spirit stick at one the biggest pep rally of the year.

Freedom Freshmen, Superhero Sophomores, Holly Jolly Juniors, Slam Dunk Seniors, MSM spirit squads, athletic teams and Student Council kept the energy going and started the school year with a “Slam Dunk!”

MSM Student Body President Stephanie V. received the distinct honor of being named one of five “Girls of Distinction” who attended the 2017 Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame induction ceremony held on August 24 at the Statehouse Convention Center. The Girls of Distinction were invited to meet the members of the third class of Hall of Fame inductees and join in celebrating and honoring the historical impact these great women have made in the state of Arkansas.

The Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame (AWHF) honors women whose contributions have influenced the direction of Arkansas in their community or the state, preserves the history of their accomplishments and provides women encouragement and inspiration. In 2016 the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas, founders of Mount St. Mary Academy, were honored as members of the second class of inductees.

Stephanie met Governor Asa Hutchinson and was asked to escort 2017 honorees to the stage in the Wally Allen Ballroom, where they received the public recognition. Of those she assisted were past President and CEO of the Arkansas Community Foundation, Pat Lile, and several members of the Olivetan Benedictine Sisters. Other 2017 inductees, contemporary and historical, included Maya Angelou, renowned author, poet, actor, performer and human rights activist, and Elsijane Trimble Roy, Arkansas’s first woman circuit judge and the first woman on the Arkansas Supreme Court.

Stephanie described her experience with the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame: “It was very inspiring and made me see how women from all backgrounds are so involved in the community and have paved the way for a younger generation of girls to do the same. I saw how through faith in God, hard work and perseverance, women can accomplish amazing things.”

Stephanie will serve as the 2017-2018 Mount St. Mary Academy Student Body President, leading and helping to manage the Student Council. She has served as a Mountie Messenger student ambassador for three years and is a member of the National Honor Society, National Beta Club and Interact Club.

Group Shadow Days give eighth grade students interested in Mount St. Mary Academy the chance to experience a typical class day and the Mount sisterhood firsthand! Each “Mount Girl for a Day” is paired with a student hostess, who will guide her through two class periods, homeroom and lunch and answer any questions about life at Mount St. Mary.

Register Today! Fill out the registration form and you will receive a confirmation email with details for the day.

Mount St. Mary Academy kicked off the first week of the 2017-2018 school year by welcoming 142 ninth graders in the Class of 2021 and a student body of 500 young women in grades 9 to 12.

The Come with Belles On event held on August 14 invited the new class and their parents to get to know one another at a picnic followed by a freshman rally in the gymnasium. Mountie Messenger student ambassadors led the ninth graders through a scavenger hunt in the school while freshman parents attended an informational meeting.

Welcome Back Day on August 16 began with each class returning to school to pick up schedules and supplies, catch up after their summer vacation and see what was new this year in school merchandise, school events and volunteer opportunities. After Welcome Back Day, Freshman Orientation was held to familiarize the ninth graders with their teachers, schedules, lockers and school policies.

At the Opening Mass on August 18 the student body came together to officially welcome the Class of 2021, calling each student by name to receive their Mercy cards and then announcing the annual button theme, Faith Can Move Mountains.

Mr. Brady will be teaching Algebra I. With many of his family members having attended Mount St. Mary, he says he “grew up around MSM and is excited to be teaching here.” His wife is a graduate of the school and one of his two daughters will be starting her senior year at MSM. Mr. Brady has been been teaching math for 17 years at The Anthony School.

Mr. Henry will be teaching American and World History and coaching the Mounties 9th grade basketball team. He is married with two children, a four-year-old daughter and 10-month-old son. Mr. Henry is excited to start teaching and coaching and hopes to pass on inquisitiveness to his students and team members by encouraging them to think critically and learn for themselves.

Ms. McLemore will be teaching American History and International Relations as well as coaching the MSM Cross Country team. She comes to MSM after 5 years of teaching at the University of Mississippi. She is excited to now be teaching high school at Mount St. Mary and helping her students prepare for college. As a history teacher, she hopes her students “become engaged in their communities and learn how to be citizens of our country and the world.”

Dr. Runge will be teaching Biology and Forensic Science. She comes to MSM after 26 years as a professor in the science department at the University of Central Arkansas, where she also served for a time as their concurrent credit coordinator. Dr. Runge says she looks forward to teaching biology and getting students ready for college and shares that forensic science is one of her passions. She hopes her biology students learn how science is applicable to everything in life and wants her forensic science students to learn different techniques and have fun at the same time.

Ms. Martinka is returning to MSM to teach AP Research, AP European History and Theology. She is thrilled about all the new AP classes and especially AP Research, one of the required courses in the AP Capstone diploma and certificate programs. Her hope for her students is that they “leave with the desire to know more.”

The Mercy Education System of the Americas (MESA), a new initiative for education ministries sponsored by the Sisters of Mercy, launched on July 3, 2017, formalizing a system of relationships for the 58 Mercy education ministries in Argentina, Belize, Guam, Honduras, Jamaica, the Philippines and the United States. The new educational system was formed in order to promote, support and advance the Mercy calling and Catholic identity into the future by connecting across all borders to share the charism of the Sisters of Mercy founder, Catherine McAuley, and to address the critical concerns of the Sisters.

Day-to-day operations at Mount St. Mary Academy will not change, and local administration and the local board will remain in place. While all Mercy educators are united by their dedication to reveal God’s love through service in the Mercy tradition, the Mercy Education System of the Americas will also encourage and enable educators to share resources and best practices in order to prepare students for an accelerated culture and a global society. In the past Mount St. Mary students, faculty and staff have partnered with fellow Mercy ministries through service projects, leadership conferences, video contests and a pilgrimage to the House of Mercy in Ireland.

Leaders from all Mercy education ministries gathered at a forum convened on March 9, 2017, in Atlanta, Georgia, expressly to set the stage for this collaboration. Even with a full agenda, many participants made time to express their enthusiasm for Mercy Education System of the Americas and the opportunity it represents.

Their witness and anticipation of the new extension of the Mercy mission may be viewed in a video at the following links:

Learning at Mount St. Mary Academy doesn’t stop just because it’s summer time! This week at Volleyball Camp our campers learned and developed volleyball skills with our MSM Belles as their guides. Parents, we hope we see you back this fall for one of the Belles volleyball games, where kids with a camp t-shirt or their team’s uniform will get in free!

Mount St. Mary Academy students faculty, staff and their families and friends celebrated the Class of 2017 graduation at the Commencement Ceremony on Thursday, May 25, 2017, at Robinson Auditorium. The words of the class song, “On My Way” by Phil Collins, described the feelings of excitement and anticipation felt by the 120 graduates, who received their diplomas from the Reverend Bishop Anthony Taylor as MSM president Karen Flake announced each graduate and the college she will attend. They were joined on stage by superintendent of Catholic schools, Mrs. Vernell Bowen; MSM principal, Mrs. Angie Collins; and chairman of the MSM Academy Board of Directors, Mr. Phillip Gillam.

Commencement Speaker Patti Drake urged the Class of 2017 to stay centered in faith as they enter a new chapter of their lives. Ms. Drake’s daughter Mary, a member of the Class of 2011, suffered a debilitating car accident in 2009. Ms. Drake spoke to the class about trusting the Lord in times of difficulty because God causes all things to work together for good for those who follow Him. She pointed out to them that His plans may not be the same as their plans but “God is good. All the time.”

Congratulations to the Class of 2017:

92% of 120 SENIORS offered scholarships from colleges and other institutions

More than $14 MILLION in college scholarships awarded to the Class of 2017

10,945 HOURS of service to the community completed during their junior and senior years

Members of the senior class offered acceptance to 207 COLLEGES and UNIVERSITIES

More photos from the 2017 Mount St. Mary Academy Commencement Exercises:

The Mount St. Mary Academy Alumnae Association gained 120 new members at the Senior Recognition Ceremony held on Monday, May 22. Attended by MSM families, alumnae relatives, and alumnae board members, the ceremony honored the accomplishments of the senior class and inducted the Class of 2017 into the MSM Alumnae Association.

Sixty-eight percentof the senior class earned the academic status of Honor Graduate with a GPA of 3.5 or higher. The top five honor graduates in the class who will speak at the 2017 Mount St. Mary Commencement Ceremony on May 25th are: 5th honor graduate Anne Thibault, 4th honor graduate Chloe Beall, 2nd honor graduates Katie O’Malley and Caroline Coplin-Chudy, and 1st honor graduate Claire Althoff.

Four MSM students received recognition by the National Merit Program during the 2016-2017 school year. Hannah Isaacs and Chloe Beall were selected as National Merit Finalists, Katie O’Malley was selected as a National Merit Commended Student and Rosemarie Ochoa earned the status of National Hispanic Scholar. Each of these young women represent the top five percent of the more than 1.6 million students who entered the National Merit competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Qualifying Test as 11th-graders.

A number of academic honors, merit awards and scholarships were awarded to many deserving MSM students in the Class of 2017. Caroline Coplin-Chudy received the 2017 Principal’s Award for living the Mercy values at Mount St. Mary. The Flora Bittner Croft Scholarship was given to three MSM students attending Catholic universities, and the Judith Wrappe Scholarship honored one senior for her artwork depicting this year’s theme of “Sisterhood.”

Melanie Parham Fox ’81 was recognized as the 2017 Mount St. Mary Academy Alumna of the Year for her contributions to the school and the community in the educational arena and for her volunteer work with MSM spirit groups and booster club initiatives as well as leadership in spearheading the merchandise system for Mount St. Mary.

The Mount St. Mary Academy Class of 2018 celebrated their “graduation” to the senior class at Junior Take Over Day (JTOD) 2017: Senior Circus. The mimes, animals, cotton candy, ring leaders and plenty of clowns gathered before school to have breakfast together and decorate their cars and the school with signs to “Step Right Up to the Senior Circus.”

MSM science classes were busy this spring with several field trips and speakers that provided practical applications of concepts learned in class.

Ms. Melandri and Ms. Johnson took their honors physical science and IB biology classes to participate in the Girls STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) Conference held April 21st at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

To supplement the unit on water, Ms. Johnson’s fifth period chemistry students visited Lake Degray in Arkedelphia, and the MSM students taught 4th grade students from the Hot Springs School District about water quality and water quality testing. The day at the park was part of the Every Kid in a Park campaign, a national initiative created by the White House and the Federal Land Management agencies to help engage and create the next generation of park visitors.

Learning about nuclear power and nuclear radiation, Ms. Johnson’s third period class made a trip to Nuclear One in Russellville. The students participated in a discussion with the training staff on

Energy Options (Solar, Wind, Hydro, Nuclear)

How ANO produces power (operation)

Costs of energy production

Career Options in Nuclear power

Accidents (What we have learned)

After the lecture, students visited simulators which replicated actual control rooms and also experienced what it is like to “suit up” for a contamination area.

Ms. Johnson’s fourth period class received a visit from guest speaker Dr. Leanne Jolly, a phD nurse and nutrition counselor from the Little Rock Athletic Clubs organization. To supplement the unit on food as energy, Dr. Jolly spoke to the students about the importance of nutrition and exercise.

Mr. Stotts’ anatomy class visited the Museum of Discovery, where students learned about guts, bones, skin, blood and more in the Amazing You gallery with activities that explore how their bodies function.

Must be Mount Girls! Cameron H. ’19 and Lexi C. ’18 were accepted to the UAMS HEALERS program (Health Education Active Learning Experience for Regional Scholars). The HEALERS program is a hands-on, interactive program open to high school students in Pulaski County who are interested in serving the community through the medical field. Out of hundreds of applicants only twelve students are selected each year to participate in the program; this year’s HEALERS program will be held from June 12 to June 23, 2017.

The HEALERS program allows students to:

Learn and ask questions about a variety of medical careers directly from a professional in that field.

Learn how to administer first aid to accident victims to include bandaging, control of bleeding, splinting and spinal immobilization.

Learn how to administer Basic Life Support (CPR).

Demonstrate a better understanding of medical terminology.

Demonstrate an increased awareness of teenage health-related issues, enabling each individual to make better informed decisions based on scientific data.

Mount St. Mary Academy will be offering eight fun and exciting summer camps for both girls and boys entering 2nd to 8th grades as well as sports camps for girls entering ninth grade.

Camps include volleyball, basketball, math, pinterest/crafts, drama, media, creative writing and cooking, so keep up your skills this summer or try something new! Most camps are half-day camps and may be combined for a full day of camp fun with an hour lunch break provided.

During the month of May, several Mount St. Mary Academy seniors were recognized for their outstanding academic achievements.

The Arkansas Times selected Caroline C. to be included among the twenty-one 2017 Academic All-Stars honored as the “best and brightest high school students in the state.” The Academic All-Stars were honored on April 24th at a ceremony at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with plaques and $250 cash awards. Read more in the Arkansas Times article.

Claire A., Caroline C. and Katie O. appeared in the “Head of the Class” feature of the May issue of Little Rock Family, which highlighted many talented students from high schools throughout Little Rock and the Central Arkansas region. Read more at Little Rock Family.

The Closing Prayer Service at Mount St. Mary Academy has always elicited fond memories, class unity and yes, some tears, and this year’s service was no exception for the Class of 2017. The students, faculty, administrators and Sisters of Mercy gathered as a school community one last time with this year’s seniors to celebrate the gift of the past school year and look forward to next steps on the journey.

Monsignor Frederick began the prayer service by telling the seniors that it was time for them to GO — to spread God’s mercy and live their faith as they move into the next phase of life.

Student Body President Grace Clark ’17 remembered the last four years with her classmates and how they have grown into the sisterhood she didn’t think was possible when she entered the school as a freshman. She recalled the challenges and the events that have bonded their class as well as the teachers and leaders in faith who have led them through adversity, and she thanked the student body for her opportunity to serve as their leader.

Three teachers were thanked for their exceptional service to the school as they move on to new chapters of their lives:

Kara Tobey, math instructor

Olivia Dumboski ’08, social studies instructor

Mary Logan, social studies instructor

The Closing Prayer Service marked the “end of an era” for a few different reasons. Included with the goodbyes to the seniors, Mary Logan announced her retirement after having taught at Mount St. Mary Academy for the past 37 years. And, after 166 years of Sisters of Mercy residing on the campus of Mount St. Mary Academy, the student body bid farewell to the last two Sisters in residence. Sr. Ann Hardcastle ’54 and Sr. Jolitta Konecny ’55 were honored for their years of service to the school community as it was announced they will be relocating to the Sisters’ retirement home in Barling, Arkansas.

Lifting everyone’s spirits were the well wishes from students in the freshmen, sophomore and junior classes before Caroline Wahlgreen ’17 gave an entertaining recollection of the past four years, and then, final traditions concluded the time at the Mount for the Class of 2017. Seniors were called to receive their graduation tassels — the last symbolic gift in a four-year tradition at Mount St. Mary Academy following freshman mercy cards, sophomore mercy pins and junior class rings. After the seniors sang their class song, the service ended with a surprise performance by an ensemble of MSM teacher singers and musicians.

Just as each class enters through an honor guard of their schoolmates at their first all-school prayer service, the seniors conclude their last day on campus by exiting through an honor guard made up of their teachers and administrators. Spending their final time together with words of gratitude and encouragement, they ended their last day and their time at Mount St. Mary Academy and set off on the weeks leading up to graduation.

Twelve Sisters of Mercy left Ireland in 1851 with Arkansas’ first Catholic bishop, Bishop Andrew J. Byrne, to set up a school for children in Arkansas that would come to be known as Mount St. Mary Academy. One hundred sixty-six years later, thirteen Mercy Sisters gathered to celebrate the 80th birthdays and relocation of the last two Sisters in residence at the school and to honor the Mercy legacy on the school’s campus.

At Mercy Moments on Our Journey, held Sunday, May 7 in the Mount St. Mary Convent in Little Rock, three Sisters of Mercy were honored for their years of service and ministry: Sr. Jolitta Konecny, Sr. Ann Hardcastle, and Sr. Joan Pfauser. Sr. Jolitta and Sr. Ann are both graduates of the school and past faculty members who will be relocating from the Mount St. Mary Convent to the Sisters’ retirement home in Barling, Arkansas. Sr. Joan, also a graduate, will continue as one of the school counselors to bring the daily presence of Mercy to Mount St. Mary Academy.

Past principals of the school Sr. Richard Mary Burke, RSM and Sr. Deborah Troillett, RSM were in attendance at the event to reflect with gratitude and give thanks to God for the school’s 166-year history and to offer prayers and affirmation for the future. Relaying a message from the Sisters of Mercy leadership team for the South-Central Community, Sr. Richard Mary announced that the convent has been deeded to the current ministry and school leadership at Mount St. Mary, proclaiming that it has been a blessing to all of the Sisters, for which they give thanks and say “yes!” to all that will be.

“Catherine McAuley said of our journey as Sisters, ‘We have one solid comfort amidst this little tripping about: our hearts can always be in the same place, centered in God for whom alone we go forward — or stay back,’” said Sr. Deborah, member of the Institute Leadership Team for the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas. “While there was sadness in me to say goodbye to the Sisters living in the convent, there is also joy in knowing that the Sisters of Mercy will go forward so deeply enriched by the partnership with our many lay colleagues who lead and serve at Mount St. Mary Academy. I feel great confidence and gratitude that the school will continue to respond to the new needs of the young women served and the convent building will inevitably be utilized in a way to meet some new unmet need!”

Mount St. Mary Academy President/CEO Karen Flake thanked the Sisters and expressed that “because of their tremendous impact, the spirit of God’s mercy will always be present at Mount St. Mary Academy.”She assured there were no immediate plans to change the way the convent is being used at Mount St. Mary Academy and said the board of directors is currently in the process of reviewing the master plan.

During refreshments and “a comfortable cup of tea” with the Sisters, an impromptu rendition of the school’s alma mater was sung by many of the 60 guests present, which included alumnae, parents, and friends of the school, Mercy Associates, and Sisters of Mercy from throughout the region. There are currently six Sisters of Mercy serving on the academy and foundation boards and one staff member serving at Mount St. Mary Academy.

Another Belle has signed to play basketball at the collegiate level. Kara R. will be playing for the Ouachita Baptist Tigers in the fall. Kara played four years as point guard for the Mounties and Belles. She was a two-year varsity starter and played in the Central Arkansas Showcase game.

Kara is the third Mount St. Mary basketball player this spring to commit to continuing her athletic career at the college level. Mary R. signed to continue her academic career and play basketball for Hendrix College on April 18 and Lizzie A. signed with Lyon College on April 25.

On April 28 the Mount St. Mary student body celebrated the college decisions of the senior class with College T-shirt Day and a special “Pizza on the Plaza.” Seniors shared their newly painted Mount St. Mary houndstooth skirts decorated with college mascots and school logos while posing for photos with friends, teachers and classmates.

The Class of 2017 then invited the family of Bella Brown to join the school community for a special dedication to honor their friend’s memory with a garden of three butterfly bushes and a flowering tree. The tree’s flowers will be Bella’s favorite color, pink, and the butterfly bush flowers will be purple, the color of the school she loved.

Mount St. Mary Academy would like to recognize and celebrate the athletic and academic accomplishments of three senior athletes who signed their letters of intent over the past two weeks. Mary R., Lizzie A. and Maggie S., surrounded by family and friends, made the public decision to continue their education at the university level while also pursuing athletic careers.

“The entire Athletic Department and school community is extremely excited for Lizzie, Mary, and Maggie to have the opportunity to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level,” said Athletic Director Marilyn Lenggenhager, recognizing the Mount St. Mary four-year athletes and honoring the decision made by each student and her family. “Their hard work here at Mount St. Mary Academy has paid off and we wish them well!”

Mary R. signed a letter of intent to play basketball with Hendrix College on Tuesday, April 18. Mary played varsity three years for Mount St. Mary Academy and was a member of the AAU basketball team Arkansas Elite. As a dual sport athlete, she also played on the Belles volleyball team. Mary is a scholar athlete and president of the National Beta Club at Mount St. Mary.

Lizzie A. signed a letter of intent to play basketball with Lyon College on Tuesday, April 25. A three-year varsity starter for the Belles, Lizzie was selected to All-Conference her junior and senior years and to the 2017 All-Metro Classic girls basketball game. She is also a scholar athlete and multi-sport athlete.

Maggie S. signed her letter of intent to join the Lyon College volleyball team on Thursday, April 27. Maggie played volleyball four years at Mount St. Mary, playing varsity three years as the middle blocker for the Belles. She was selected to All-Conference her senior year.

The fourth biennial Mercy & Me Luncheon was held on Wednesday, April 26, 2017 at the Statehouse Convention Center downtown. The signature event was created by Mount St. Mary Academy as an opportunity for alumnae, friends and family to celebrate Mercy-inspired leadership in Little Rock and beyond — from the proud mother to the business professional to the community leader.

The speaker for the luncheon was Linda Rowe Thomas—celebrity fashion designer, burn survivor and inspirational speaker. Mrs. Thomas’ keynote address told the story of her accident and her mother’s faith and encouragement throughout her ongoing recovery process, and she spoke about self-acceptance and opening herself to God’s love and plan for her life.

Prior to the luncheon, Mrs. Thomas addressed the student body in the Mount St. Mary McAuley Center, where students modeled designs from her fashion line, Romás by Linda Rowe Thomas, as well as fashions by David’s Bridal and Proposals.

Mount St. Mary Academy has the distinct honor of being the only all-girls secondary school in Arkansas. And throughout its 166-year history, the Mount remains a dignified, stately testimonial to the unceasing labors of the Sisters of Mercy and the more than 20,000 graduates who have emerged from the school stronger in wisdom, compassion and integrity.

Click here to see a video of the keynote address by Linda Rowe Thomas:

That’s what the first-ever Tuition Raffle offered parents of current students and 8th graders planning to attend Mount St. Mary Academy next year. The raffle, presented by the Mount St. Mary Belle Booster Club, was kicked off during Catholic Schools Week in January to raise funds for student activities at Mount St. Mary Academy.

The Bray family was the winner of the full year of tuition to be applied to the 2017-2018 school year. The drawing was held on April 26 at the Mercy & Me student program. Thank you to all the families who participated in the tuition raffle to support extracurricular programs for MSM students!

Mount St. Mary Academy science instructor Marcella Melandri received the Stephens Award by the City Education Trust at a reception on Monday, April 24. Eight high school seniors and five teachers from Little Rock schools were recipients of the 2017 Stephens Awards, which recognize teachers and students with $5,000 scholarships to outstanding students and $8,000 cash awards to selected instructors.

Ms. Melandri has been teaching for the past nine years at the Mount, where she has taught Biology, Honors Biology and IB Biology. She also co-sponsored the HoneyBelles team that won first place in the Lexus Eco Challenge, a national STEM competition, and she has accompanied students on trips abroad. Congratulations, Ms. Melandri!

Forty-five Mount St. Mary Academy students competed at the annual Arkansas Young Artist Association (AYAA) Convention and Competition on April 12, 2017, where more than 50 schools and 2,000 student members were represented.

In addition to viewing student exhibits and listening to the convention speakers, the Arkansas Young Artist Association annually awards at least ten $500 scholarships to current AYAA members in good standing.

Congratulations to these MSM students:

Erica Vanhaute and Kristin Divino both received scholarships from AYAA and Breanna Freeman received a renewable scholarship from Kansas City Art Institute.

The Arkansas Young Artist Association (AYAA) is a state-wide organization of high school students grade 9-12. The mission is to encourage the visual arts in Arkansas students through professional speakers, competitions and exhibition.

Mount St. Mary will be participating in Drain Smart again this year. Junior Art student Grace C.’s design “A Day in the Creek” has been selected for installation on the storm drain located at Kavanaugh and Ash in front of Hangers in Hillcrest. Art students will be painting the design as a group so keep your eyes peeled for us!

The Concert Belles were AMAZING at the State Festival April 6, 2017! They received a Division I plaque and TWO best in class awards: “best medium female chorus” AND “best medium chorus OVERALL” for the 6A division.

Congratulations to Erica V. and Isabella G. Both of the students’ artwork were selected as winners in the 2017 Governor’s Young Artist Competition, and will be displayed at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion, April 12 – May 13, 2017.

Hannah B. won 1st place at the McMath Branch Library for her written poem, which she entered into the teen poet laureate contest. She will be representing the McMath Library Branch at this year’s Arkansas Literary Festival, which is put on by the Central Arkansas Library System. Her written poem will be competing against the written poetry winners from all of the branch libraries April 27th through 30th. Congratulations, Hannah, and good luck!

During the month of May, as Mount St. Mary Academy celebrates the gift of the past school year, the oldest ministry in the former St. Louis Region will be celebrating with hearts of gratitude another time of special importance.

To honor the Mercy legacy at the school, Mercy Moments on Our Journey will be held at Mount St. Mary Convent onSunday, May 7th from 4 to 6 p.m. with comments at 5 p.m. Light refreshments, libations and tea will be provided.

Two Sisters in residence at the school, Sister Mary Ann Hardcastle and Sister Mary Jolitta Konecny, will be recognized in light of their significance. Both are graduates and former members of the faculty who have reached the graceful wisdom of 80 years this March.Due to multiple circumstances for community and ministry, the Sisters will be relocating to Catherine McAuley Convent in Barling, Arkansas. The South Central Leadership Team has communicated their wish to deed the Mount St. Mary Convent residence to the ministry leadership at Mount St. Mary Academy.

As with all Mercy experiences, Mount St. Mary is blessed to continue to have the presence and ministry of Sister Joan Pfauser bringing the daily gift of Mercy presence as a school counselor. The school is also privileged to have six Sisters of Mercy actively serving on the Academy and Foundation boards.

With deep thanksgiving to God for His faithfulness and for the courage of those who have helped bring Mount St. Mary to this point, all who have been a part of her history are invited to celebrate these Mercy Moments on Our Journey. Guests attending should RSVP to Shannon Tanner at 501.476.3367 or stanner@mtstmary.edu.

Mount St. Mary Academy teams performed well in several State Tournaments held during the weekend of April 1.

Mount St. Mary Latin students received eight first-place awards and 24 awards for top-three placings at the State Latin Competition held at Harding University. The competition included a variety of categories, such as Poetry Recitation, Latin Extemporaneous Reading and Vocabulary Bee.

At the Arkansas Odyssey of the Mind State Tournament, the Mount St. Mary team placed first for their creativity and problem-solving abilities applied to this year’s problem, “It’s Time, OMER” in Division III. The seven team members will advance to the World Finals at Michigan State University in May.

The Mount St. Mary Quiz Bowl team competed admirably in the state Quiz Bowl tournament held at the University of Arkansas at Fort Smith. Katie Strickland received All-State honors, and she will be invited to play in the state All-Star tournament in May.

Fourteen Mount St. Mary forensics team students qualified for and competed at the State Tournament of Champions. The forensics team focuses on developing students’ public speaking and communication skills. The team received charter member status in February.

Mount St. Mary Academy recently received the prestigious national charter member status in the National Speech & Debate Association along with three other Arkansas schools: Crossett High School, Har-Ber High School and North Little Rock High School. This is the highest school membership honor you can achieve in the National Speech & Debate Association.

“Charter membership reflects sustained commitment to speech and debate,” said J. Scott Wunn, Executive Director of the National Speech & Debate Association. “We are extremely proud of our charter schools, coaches, and students for their hard work and passion for speech and debate.”

Schools earn charter membership status after receiving at least 50 degrees within a three-year period. Students and coaches earn points in the Honor Society through speech and debate competition, community service, public speaking, and leadership activities. The more points earn higher degrees of recognition.

Every school within the National Speech & Debate Association is designated a provisional chapter, member chapter, or charter chapter. Each status determines voting privileges, a district’s strength of chapters, and number of qualifiers to the annual National Speech & Debate Tournament.

About the National Speech & Debate Association

The National Speech & Debate Association is the largest interscholastic speech and debate organization serving middle school, high school, and collegiate students in the United States. The Association provides competitive speech and debate activities, high-quality resources, comprehensive training, scholarship opportunities, and advanced recognition to more than 150,000 students and coaches every year. For 90 years, the National Speech & Debate Association has empowered more than 1.5 million members to become engaged citizens, skilled professionals, and honorable leaders in our society. For more information, visit www.speechanddebate.org.

The first-ever March Madness Father-Daughter Family Feud event created quite a stir in the McAuley Center on Saturday, March 4th at Mount St. Mary Academy. Presented by the Belle Booster Club, the event benefited Mount St. Mary student clubs, organizations and athletic teams. Following rules of the popular game show, teams of dads and daughters faced off to answer popular survey questions and try for their chance to enter the final round.

Congratulations to the Clark/Wahlgreen/Crow team, winner of this year’s March Madness Family Feud! And thank you to the extremely creative and hardworking event chairs, MSM parents Kelly and Roy Snook, and the student committee for all of their vision and planning for this event.

Five Mount St. Mary Academy students joined forces with nine Catholic High boys to compete in the annual Mock Trial State Tournament hosted by the Arkansas Bar Association on March 3-4, 2017.

The two teams have been practicing twice a week since shortly after school began last fall. The Junior Team (Freshmen Sarah Meeks and Naomi Moreland) made the semi-finals but lost to a team from Springdale Har-Ber High School. Senior Team (Juniors Clara Cordell, Sydney Eagan and Katie Strickland) lost in the second round to another team from Springdale Har-Ber High School, who competed against the other Har-Ber team for the state championship title.

The Arkansas Bar Association Mock Trial Competition gives high school student teams from across the state the opportunity to act as lawyers and witnesses in simulated civil trials before actual judges and panels of juries. Lawyers volunteer to assist students as team advisers, scorekeepers and regional coordinators. Each year, the winning team goes on to represent Arkansas in the national competition.

Hundreds of grandparents joined their granddaughters for a special Grandparents Day celebration held on March 3rd at Mount St. Mary Academy.

Granddaughters gave their grandparents personalized tours, introducing them to teachers and friends and showing them around the campus. Grandparents participated in activities and demonstrations with different classes and school organizations, such as Quiz Bowl, Forensics, Odyssey of the Mind, Family and Consumer Science, Robotics, Latin Club, and they even were able to take part in a Chemistry Lab making “fake snow.”

Thank you to LeMay Photography for the photo booth keepsakes and to all of the grandparents and their granddaughters who made this such a special day!

It is no small feat to continually earn Superior ratings at the annual Choral Performance Assessment, but leave it to the Mount St. Mary Academy Concert Belles to do it again! They earned Division I (Superior) ratings in both performance and sight-reading and received some incredibly humbling comments from the judges, who said they were highly impressed and blown away by their performance.

Beginning in late February and early March, the majority of secondary school choirs in Arkansas participate in one of the region Choral Performance Assessments sponsored by the Arkansas Choral Directors Association. Concert Belles consistently earns a superior rating at the annual assessment, and they will again advance to the State Festival in April. The ensemble sings a variety of choral repertoire at a number of concerts and events throughout the year and is well-known throughout the Central Arkansas region.

Congratulations to our Mount St. Mary Basketball Belles for an awesome season. The Belles won four conference games this season and competed at the State Tournament in Van Buren this week. This season marks the first conference win for the Belles since 2012-2013. We are proud of all these young women, Coach Ramsey, and Athletic Trainer Mr. Stotts. #GoBelles

The Mount St. Mary Academy Odyssey of the Mind team competed in the Regional competition at MLK Elementary on February 25. The team won first place in their first competition of the year and will advance to the state competition on April 1.

Odyssey of the Mind (OM) is an international problem-solving competition designed for pre-school through college-age students. Unlike Quiz Bowl or other like competitions, OM has a creative interpretation element and an interpretive solution to a multi-stage long-term problem. This year’s problem involves an original performance about time travelers looking to discover the inspiration for great works of art.

Mount St. Mary Academy has participated in Odyssey of the Mind since 1996. Its teams regularly have been awarded first or second place in regional and state competitions since 1999, and teams have placed in the top six at the World Finals consecutively for the past three years.

Spring Basketball Academy at Mount St. Mary Academy gives players in 4th through 8th grades the opportunity to build a basketball skill foundation and love of the game. Instructors will focus on fundamental basketball skills including dribbling, shooting, passing, defense principles, team and individual competition.

Come learn a routine and perform at a Mount St. Mary Varsity Basketball Game! At Mount St. Mary Academy’s Spirit Belles Camp, girls in kindergarten through 6th grades gain experience in school spirit from the Belles spirit squads.

Teacup and Teapot set, $30-$50 ($70 regular price)

“Make sure they have a comfortable cup of tea before I go.”

– Catherine McAuley

You can now remember Catherine McAuley’s “comfortable cup of tea” with one of our very special Mercy & Me custom jewelry pieces that feature MSM student artwork of a teacup and teapot. During the month of February, receive TWO FOR $50 – the Teacup bracelet and Teapot necklace (regularly $70) or teacup and teapot pendants – TWO FOR $30.

2017 marked 166 years since Mount St. Mary Academy was founded on February 4, 1851. Founders Day celebrations started with members of Student Council ringing of the Angelus Bell 166 times to wish the school a Happy Birthday. The Founders Day Mass/Sophomore Pin Mass also celebrated a special day for MSM sophomores, who received their Mercy pins and were invited to a special reception with their families and classmates.

Friday, January 6th, will be a Cyber Day for Mount St. Mary Academy. Due to inclement weather, the school’s campus will be closed. Students should access their classes using Google Classroom. Teachers will be available electronically during regular school hours. Today is an A Day.

Mount St. Mary Academy senior, Caroline Coplin-Chudy, has been awarded a full college scholarship to Duke University through QuestBridge’s college match program.

Caroline was one of 5,338 students who were selected as finalists out of an application pool of 14,491 in the college match program. Of those finalists, she was one of 767 matched to a QuestBridge partner and one of 32 selected nationally for admission to Duke University. She will attend Duke University in Durham, North Carolina on a $290,468 scholarship award that will cover full tuition, fees, room and board, books, supplies and travel expenses for four years.

QuestBridge is a national program that pairs high-achieving, low-income high school seniors with full scholarships to the nation’s top colleges. Students selected for the College Match are “matched” to one of QuestBridge’s 38 college partners that include top liberal arts colleges such as Amherst, Colby, Pomona, and Williams and research universities such as Brown, Columbia, Duke, Stanford, and Yale. Students must demonstrate high academic achievement that meets or exceeds the admissions standards of the partner colleges; they are selected as finalists based on their academic, financial and extracurricular credentials.

More information about the program may be found on the QuestBridge website at: https://www.questbridge.org/

Grades 3, 4 & 5

Build confidence, skills and love of the game at this Fall Basketball Skills Academy for 3rd, 4th & 5th graders. Instructors will focus on fundamental skills including dribbling, passing, shooting, defense principles and team and individual competition.

Fall Basketball Skills Academy is held in the McAuley Center Gymnasium.

November 13, 3:30-5:00 p.m.

*November 20, 1:30-3:30 p.m. (time change for holiday break)

December 4, 3:30-5:00 p.m.

December 11, 3:30-5:00 p.m.

December 18, 3:30-5:00 p.m.

$40/participant (includes t-shirt and free admission to MSM home basketball games when t-shirt is worn)

Rachel Chenault, Sarah Forester and Madison Fox were awarded High Five Awards from Miracle League of Arkansas for their volunteer work with the organization over the last four years. The Chris Anderson “High Five” Scholarship was formed in 2015 in honor of Chris’ tireless dedication to the Miracle League players, their families and the volunteers. Usually, only one scholarship recipient is awarded; however, this year it was expanded to include all three girls because of each one’s amazing dedication to the kids and families at Miracle League. Rachel, Sarah and Madison each donated more than 400 hours of service, and they each received a scholarship of $2,000. The Miracle League of Arkansas encourages all Mount St. Mary Academy students to be as giving of their time as these three students and to demonstrate the same commitment to service within the community.

Congratulations to Mount St. Mary Academy history teacher Mary Logan! At a special assembly on October 17, she was presented with the Amazing Educator award by Little Rock Family for making a difference in the lives of her students.

Little Rock Family surprised the student body with the special recognition, narrowing down the identity of the award recipient by describing her as one of the department chairs at Mount St. Mary Academy who has been teaching for over 30 years and is also a Stanford Fellow of International History. Ms. Logan is also the Model United Nations team sponsor and a student travel sponsor. One of Ms. Logan’s former students nominated her for the award, inspired once again by her phenomenal teaching now that her daughter is taking a history class taught by one of her own most memorable teachers.

Along with educators from elementary school, middle school and special needs, Ms. Logan will be featured in an Amazing Educators section in the January issue of Little Rock Family. Thank you, Little Rock Family, for recognizing that outstanding teachers like Ms. Logan prepare our students for college and inspire their dreams for the future.

Mount St. Mary Academy Fine & Performing Arts Department presents the musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday, November 3rd, 4th, 5th & 7th at the Catholic High School Auditorium. Join us for this family-show and watch the beloved comic strip come to life!

Two more Mount St. Mary Academy students have been honored this month for exceptional academic promise, and we couldn’t be prouder.

The 2016-17 National Hispanic Recognition Program (NHRP) selected Rosemarie Ochoa from the Mount St. Mary Academy Class of 2017 as a National Hispanic Scholar. Rosemarie scored in the top 2.5% on the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®) test among all Hispanic and Latino test-takers in the region. Established in 1983, the National Hispanic Recognition Program is a College Board program that provides national recognition of the exceptional academic achievements of Hispanic/Latino high school seniors and identifies them for post-secondary institutions. In order to be eligible, students must be at least one-quarter Hispanic/Latino, as defined by the NHRP, meet the minimum PSAT cutoff score by state, and achieve a minimum grade point average requirement.

Katie O’Malley was named a Commended Student in an announcement by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Katie joined approximately 34,000 students throughout the nation who received the distinction. Although they will not continue in the 2017 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top five percent of more than 1.6 million students who entered the 2017 competition by taking the 2015 PSAT/NMSQT®.

“The young men and women being named Commended Students have demonstrated outstanding potential for academic success,” commented a spokesperson for NMSC. “These students represent a valuable national resource; recognizing their accomplishments, as well as the key role their schools play in their academic development, is vital to the advancement of educational excellence in our nation. We hope that this recognition will help broaden their educational opportunities and encourage them as they continue their pursuit of academic success.”

We congratulate Rosemarie and Katie for the academic commitment they have demonstrated; these awards will enable them to highlight their outstanding educational achievements to top colleges and universities. They join the two Semifinalists from Mount St. Mary Academy recognized in September by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

The Belles delivered a mighty victory against Fort Smith Northside at the Pink Out volleyball game on October 4. In front of a crowd of parents, classmates and friends decked out in pink to support breast cancer awareness, the varsity team battled it out to a fifth-set win that upset Northside’s four-way tie for first in the 7A Conference. Fort Smith Southside lost on Tuesday as well, so the Belles are set to play the two remaining contenders, North Little Rock and Conway, on October 6 and October 13 at home.

It’s not too late to register for Mount St. Mary Academy Shadow Days! Eighth graders can experience the Mount by walking through a typical day with a student hostess. You can request a hostess, or be assigned one of our Mountie Messenger student ambassadors, who will show you around and answer any questions you may have. Enjoy two class periods, homeroom and lunch, and make sure to let us know your interests, so we can tailor the experience just for you!

Top 5 Activities for a “Mount Girl for a Day”1) 7:45 a.m. Meet your hostess, who will be your personal guide to all things Mount (and give you a t-shirt to take home with you!)2) Take time to pet the school golden doodle, Sadie3) 8:00 and 9:30 a.m. Attend two 90-minute classes, meeting teachers and observing class discussions and technology4) 11:05 a.m. Watch Belle TV student broadcast during homeroom5) 11:40 a.m. Share lunch and make new friends

Two students from Mount St. Mary Academy have been named Semifinalists in the 62nd annual National Merit® Scholarship Program. Chloe Beall ’17 and Hannah Isaacs ’17 are among the 16,000 Semifinalists who represent the top one percent of the Class of 2017. Last fall, about 1.6 million juniors across the country entered the 2017 National Merit Scholarship competition by taking the PSAT qualifying test.

“These academically talented high school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition for some 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth about $33 million that will be offered next spring,” according to a news release from the National Merit Scholarship Corporation.

Steps in the 2017 Competition

About 15,000 seniors will be announced as Finalists in February. To advance to the finals of the scholarship program, students must show a record of consistently high academic performance throughout high school while also earning SAT scores that confirm their earlier performances on the qualifying test. Their high school principal must also write a recommendation.

National Merit Scholarships

Three types of National Merit Scholarships will be offered in the spring of 2017. Every Finalist will compete for one of 2,500 National Merit® $2500 Scholarships that will be awarded on a state-representational basis. About 1,000 corporate-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards will be provided by approximately 230 corporations and business organizations for Finalists who meet their specified criteria. In addition, about 190 colleges and universities are expected to finance some 4,000 college-sponsored Merit Scholarship awards for Finalists who will attend the sponsor institution.

Mark your calendar for Chills &Thrills, the spook-tacular new event by the MSM Booster Club to benefit co-curricular programs at Mount St. Mary Academy. Join us as we celebrate a day full of Halloween fun on the Mount St. Mary campus to include a 5K Monster Dash, “Mount Scary Academy” haunted house, Boo-tique shopping, frightful feast and an adults-only party.

Congratulations to our founders, the Sisters of Mercy, who were inducted into the Arkansas Women’s Hall of Fame last night at a reception held at the Statehouse Convention Center. Along with eight women from across the state, the Sisters were recognized for making a significant impact on the lives of others and helping to elevate the status of women in our state, our nation, and, in some cases, around the world.

The number of lives the Sisters have touched over the years is overwhelming! Here’s a quick look at the far-reaching ministry of Mercy in Arkansas.

The Sisters of Mercy have opened, maintained and managed:

five hospitals

three schools of nursing

twenty-two schools

a women’s spirituality center

a teen education center

retirement homes

a ministry for women in prison

Today in Arkansas, the Sisters of Mercy still run/sponsor two schools, two retirement centers, four hospitals, and numerous medical clinics.

Congratulations to our Arkansas Girls State delegates, MSM rising seniors Lizzie Allgood, Vivian Boe, Maddy Frazior, Kirsten Hawkins and Kathryn Studer!They represented MSM well last week at Girls State, a program that provides citizenship training for young women and gives them the opportunity to learn about city, county and state government by experiencing it themselves. Through participation in a mock government, these MSM students elected officials, held a variety of leadership positions and heard from their respective counterparts about their roles and responsibilities here in Arkansas.

Three faculty members and one student at Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock have been named recipients of the 2016 Stephens Award by The City Education Trust. Mount St. Mary Academy instructors Kathy Smith, Maureen Stover and Jenny Moses make up three of the five teachers who have been selected to receive an $8,000 cash award recognizing their outstanding and inspirational teaching. Senior Darcey Collins, a Finalist in the National Merit Scholarship Program, is among the eight student recipients who have been selected to receive a $5,000 scholarship for their proven records of academic excellence. Congratulations for such an incredible achievement!

The HoneyBelles, a team of six science and art students from Mount St. Mary Academy, advanced in March to win a $15,000 first place award in the Lexus Eco Challenge, a national contest that encourages middle and high school students to develop and implement environmental programs that positively impact their communities.After carefully studying the local environment, the HoneyBelles developed an Action Plan. They created a pollinators habitat on the school campus to protect the dwindling bee population so vital to modern agriculture. They also started a composting system to help sustain the garden and began spreading awareness about the importance of bees to the greater community.Sixteen teams in each challenge, including Mount St. Mary Academy, won $10,000 in grants and scholarships at the end of November. All the winning teams were invited to participate in the Final Challenge for a chance to win one of two $30,000 grand prizes and eight first place prizes of $15,000. In all, $500,000 in scholarships and grants was awarded, with a total of $25,000 awarded to Mount St. Mary Academy. The HoneyBelles plan to use the prize money to help fundraise for two organizations – The Bee Cause, a grant program aimed to educate young people about the importance of bees, and Bee Abroad, an organization that seeks to reduce poverty in developing countries throughout the world through beekeeping.